October 2002 - Categories:
ShowingWe showed our dogs at the 2002 SCA National Specialty in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Here is
Lightning in the Best of Breed ring, just before being inspected by breeder-judge John Ronald. There were nearly 200 other Champions entered, each judged against the official Standard (a detailed description) for our breed. Only one dog or bitch is selected as Best in Specialty Show (BISS), a highly prized achievement. Lightning went on to win this top honor at the
2004 SCA National Specialty!
Nimbus (right) and his brother Draco (left) were in the puppy sweepstakes and regular dog show at the National. They both made the cut in sweeps, meaning they were considered for a placement. Nimbus also made the cut in the regular dog show.
Both of these boys (together with Lightning and his brother Loki) represented their mother, Ch Wolf River's Fata Morgana ROMX, in the Brood Bitch class. At 11 years old, she had no trouble leading her well-conditioned sons around the ring. It was a very impressive lineup!
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October 2002 - Categories:
Backpacking | Herding | Titles/Awards
The 2002 Samoyed Club of America National Specialty took place in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Lots of fun working events were offered, alongside the conformation show. Lightning and Nimbus hiked with nearly 20 other Samoyeds (including their brothers Loki and Draco) on the Appalachian Trail. Our boys, seen on the right, hiked in their royal blue Wolf Packs Reflector dog packs. Their brothers are next to them wearing their purple Banzai dog packs.
The picture above shows Lightning pulling 14 times his body weight in the SCA Novice Weight Pull. He worked his heart out for me, and pulled the second highest weight that day, 757 pounds! He made 12 pulls in all, increasing by 50 pounds each time. All of his pulls were under 6 seconds, with the exception of his last which was under 7 seconds. Several people commented that Lightning really lives up to his name!
Nimbus had fun at the Novice Weight Pull event too, hauling a total of 402 pounds. He had never done this before, and seemed to get a kick out of the applause and attention. We look forward to entering more weight pull events with him in the future!
Nimbus participated many other activities at the National including sheep herding. This picture shows his introduction to sheep. He was very enthusiastic, and it was fun to watch him interact with them.
Lightning also worked sheep, and completed his Junior Herding Dog (JHD) title at this event. He did a lovely job of moving three sheep around a field the size of a football field, and through several gates, in a controlled manner.
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October 2002 - Categories:
Backpacking | Scenic | Fun
We drove from Oregon to Pennsylvania to attend the 2002 Samoyed Club of America National Specialty. Round trip was almost 9,000 miles! During our adventure, we visited some of the most beautiful spots in America. One of our favorites was Yellowstone National Park. Here is Lightning surveying a herd of bison. Both of our dogs were fascinated by the gigantic animals.
One of the world's most famous geysers, Old Faithful, did not disappoint us! We got to watch it erupt twice during our visit.
Nimbus is pictured on the left, Lightning on the right.
Later, Lightning (left) and Nimbus (right) visited Mount Rushmore. We thought their likenesses would make a great addition to the monument alongside presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln.
After the National, we visited Matt and Cynthia Woodard who own Loki (litter-brother of Lightning) and Draco (litter-brother of Nimbus). We scootered with the four boys on some lovely Massachusetts trails. The trees were cloaked in autumn colors. One great run took place on Cape Cod. Pictured from left to right: Nimbus, Lightning, Draco, and Loki. Notice how the two teams are in-step with each other. This is something we often notice in an efficient sled dog team.
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August 2002 - Categories:
Showing | Titles/AwardsFor the second year in a row,
Lightning earned the Best Working award at the 2002 Williamette Valley Samoyed Fanciers Specialty! Our judge was Howard Dullnig, who also awarded Lightning's brother
Nimbus Reserve Winner's Dog at this large Specialty show. He defeated many older dogs to earn this prestigious win.
Also for the second year in a row, Lightning was the Best Working winner at the 2002 Samoyed Club of Washington State Specialty, under judge Estelle Cohen. This image was taken right after he won his class and shows him awaiting a treat from his loving owner-handler. Thank you Ron Manor for this nice image.
We are very proud of our boys, and even more so knowing that they are active workers with many trail miles behind (and still ahead of) them.
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July 2002 - Categories:
Scenic
Nimbus had his first birthday party on July 10, 2002. We wanted to do something that he would really enjoy. To celebrate we took a boat to Buck Island on Howard Prairie Lake in southern Oregon. Lightning (right) cooled off by biting at the bow-wake as we made our way across the lake.
Once at Buck Island, the dogs raced across the beaches and through the woods. We gave them a swimming lesson. Because Nimbus grew up during the cold winter months, this was his first experience in deep water. He was surprised when he could no longer touch the bottom, but enjoyed being cool during a record-breaking heat-wave. Afterward, Nimbus (left) and Lightning (right) hopped up on stumps and surveyed their realm.
Nimbus got a birthday cake. It was a hamburger that we shared with the boys when we returned to the marina. Everybody had a great time at Nimbus' first birthday party!
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June 2002 - Categories:
Backpacking | ScenicIn the summer of 2002 we went on a great backpack trip into Mountain Lakes Wilderness in Oregon. We really enjoyed the rugged trail system into this ancient caldera. This region shares the geologic history of Carter Lake, but instead of forming a bowl, glaciers cut away several sides of this crater and left behind many small lakes.
Lightning (on the left) and
Nimbus (on the right) carried 25% of their body weight in their Wolf Packs
Reflector dog packs. Nimbus' load included one of his favorite stuffed toys, and both of the boys carried water, their food, treats, dog boots, first aid items, and other necessities.
Once we hiked down the steep sides of the caldera, our route went past many beautiful lakes. This is Como Lake, which was very clear and peaceful. Pictured on the left are Linda with Lightning & Nimbus. In the middle is our friend Candice with Corby. On the right is Francisca with Reign. All of these beautiful dogs are related pure-bred Samoyeds.
Nimbus, Corby, and Reign earned points toward their Working Samoyed titles on this 14 mile trip. Lightning has already earned his
Master Working Samoyed title, which is the most advanced working title offered by the Samoyed Club of America.
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May 2002 - Categories:
Showing | Titles/Awards
On May 17, 2002, Lightning earned a 5 Point Major at the Samoyed Club of San Diego Specialty! After earning 1st Place in a large Open Dog class, he was awarded Winners Dog, and then Best of Winners at the Specialty by Australian judge Lynn Harwood.
The following day, under breeder-judge Jeanne Zuver, Lightning was awarded Winners Dog for another 5 Point Major, which completed his American Championship! Lightning is our first purebred dog, and was handled by Linda (his owner) all the way. You might say we learned about dog shows together.
Lightning's grandfather, Ch Wolf River's Drumlin ROMC (a well-known and important contributor to our breed), finished his Championship at this Specialty decades earlier. It is an honor for Lightning to echo the past.
We wish to thank all of our judges for rewarding this very special dog!
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May 2002 - Categories:
Puppyhood | Showing | Titles/AwardsAt the Samoyed Club of San Diego Specialty,
Nimbus was awarded Best Puppy in Sweepstakes! He won $9.00 which bought him a little purple horse toy made of rope.
Our judge was Alaskan Malamute breeder John Boughton. He was pleased to learn that he found a true working puppy among the entries when I mentioned that Nimbus has run in harness since he was five months old.
Nimbus' brother,
Lightning, finished his American Championship this Specialty weekend with back-to-back 5 Point Majors. It was a weekend for us to cherish.
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March 2002 - Categories:
Skijoring | Titles/Awards | ScenicLightning completed his
Master Working Samoyed (WSXM) title on March 16, 2002. This is the most advanced working title issued by the Samoyed Club of America. He is only the 11th dog in the world to have earned this title. At 25-months old, Lightning is also the youngest Samoyed to have earned this advanced level of working title.
Lightning earned his Master title in these areas:
Lightning has traveled many miles, and is always ready for a new adventure. We are very proud of our hard-working boy!
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March 2002 - Categories:
Puppyhood | Showing | Titles/AwardsOn March 9, 2002,
Lightning was awarded Winners Dog and Best of Winners for a 3 Point Major by breeder-judge Annella Cooper at the Centralia, Washington show.
Nimbus was chosen as the Reserve Winners Dog (to a major) out of the 6-9 Month Puppy class on the same day! It was very exciting.
This image shows Lightning waiting for the judge to inspect him during the Open Dog class. Thank you Ron Manor for this candid picture of our boy!
A well-attended sanctioned Fun Match was held on the previous day, so we entered both of our boys as a way to remind all of us what to do in the conformation ring. Lightning went Best in Match, and Nimbus was the Working Group 2 winner! The boys won lots of ribbons, some mugs, and a pretty stained glass window hanging.
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March 2002 - Categories:
Scootering | Scenic
Our powerful Lightning was the official scooter salesman at Wolf Packs during 2001. When the US distributor of BlauWerk scooters went out of business in early 2002, we bought their entire remaining inventory and passed the price-break we received along to our customers.
Lightning's Downhill scooter is shown here. This device was originally designed for cruising down snowless ski runs, but we have found it to be an excellent lead dog training tool. With this unique mode of transportation, we always turn the heads of people who see our team on the local logging roads and trails.
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February 2002 - Categories:
Scenic | FunLightning turned two-years old on February 16, 2002. To celebrate, we thought it would be nice to let him do something that he enjoys. So we loaded him, along with our mountain bikes and his younger brother
Nimbus, into the truck. We drove to an abandoned airfield in California. This expanse of land is flat, fenced, and secluded. It was a perfect spot to let the boys run free.
We had 30 mile per hour winds at the airfield on Lightning's birthday. The boys are facing into the wind in this picture (Lightning left, Nimbus right). The dog's fur looked incredible as it was moved by the wind.
This image shows Lightning's effortless flying-trot with the high winds coming from behind him. He generally achieves just over 14 miles per hour before he breaks from a trot to a lope.
Here is something that Lightning loves to do. At a flat-out gallop, he sails through the air. He can really cover a lot of ground quickly!
On the drive home, we stopped and both dogs got an ice-cream cone to further celebrate Lightning's big day.
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February 2002 - Categories:
ShowingOn February 9, 2002,
Lightning was awarded Best of Winners by judge Dick Webb. This all-breed conformation dog show weekend took place in Albany, Oregon. The following day, under judge Judith Brown, Lightning was awarded Winner's Dog. He earned points toward his American Championship both days!
Our boy enjoys his time in the show ring. He wags his tail at the judges and while standing at attention. His trademark is his lovely movement. Lightning covers a lot of ground while appearing to float smoothly across the floor.
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February 2002 - Categories:
Puppyhood | FunNimbus went for his first airplane flight today. The little guy took to it well, looking out of the window and eating yummy treats. Here we are about 3,000 feet in the air. The shadow on Paul's face tells the story of how this picture was captured.
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January 2002 - Categories:
Skijoring | Racing
Lightning sailed along the 2.6 mile Novice Skijor course at the 2002 Chemult Sled Dog Races. Partnered with Paul, our team averaged 9 miles per hour over the two day (5.2 mile total) event. Lightning was the only single-dog entry, and still came in 2nd Place, beating 2-dog Alaskan Husky and Alaskan Malamute teams. Conditions could not have been nicer, and fun was had by all.
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January 2002 - Categories:
Puppyhood | Scenic | Titles/AwardsPuppy
Nimbus (left) and
Lightning (right) enjoy exploring Castle Crags State Park in Northern California. From this spot we admired the rugged granite spires of the crags, and could also see the sleek white shape of Mount Shasta to the North.
Later in the month, Nimbus earned his Canine Good Citizen (CGC) title, and made his debut appearance in the conformation dog show ring, receiving 1st Place in his class. He loved all of the attention and treats, and charmed everybody with his calm disposition and sweet nature.
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